Only You Can Save the World
by awayshegoes
Summary: "You sent me here to tell ya'—" Kitty's vision blurred as tears welled at the corner of her eyes, "—that we've tried ev'rything. We've sent ev'ryone," Rogue pursed her lips into a straight line, "Kitty, you're ah last hope. Only you can save the world." (A new take on DoFP; Kitty Pryde-centric.)
1. It All Started with Erik

Only You Can Save the World  
by awayshegoes

Chapter One: "It All Started with Eric"

Author's Note: "Only You Can Save the World" incorporates select elements of the X-Men comics, movies, and cartoons. It's a new take on the "Days of Future Past" comic/movie line, but it will divert from both. Fair warning: not all elements of this story will be canon, so read with a small grain of salt. This is a fanfic: no copyright infringement intended.

* * *

Kitty shifted her legs just slightly. She had been in this position for what felt like a lifetime: on her knees, fingers pressed against Logan's temples, eyes squeezed shut. The muscles in her legs screamed to be stretched out and her hands felt like stone; she ignored the pain as best she could, because she knew the fate of the entire world depended on her concentration.

A small group of people were huddled nearby, completely silent minus the occasional sound of shuffling or sniffling. All eyes were fixated on Kitty and Logan, as they had been for hours. They were waiting: waiting to see if their efforts and sacrifices were all in vain; waiting to see if the world would change before their eyes; waiting, with bated breath, for their hopes to be extinguished.

Logan was lying on his back, eyes closed, still as death. A faint purple glow emanated from Kitty's fingertips. Her breath was slow, rhythmic, and seemed to fill up all the empty space in the temple. The air was still. It was dark. The only light, other than that surrounding Kitty's hands, was the faint glow of the midnight moon peeking through the open windows. It was eerie, silent. The purple glow seemed all too pleasant and pure for the current situation.

The temple they were in was their temporary safe haven (as safe as their world could be). They had escaped the internment camp not long before. Sacrifices were made, lives were lost, but it was all in hope that the world could be saved: that the future could be altered.

It all started with Erik.

* * *

Erik was imprisoned with Kitty, Logan, and countless other mutants. Kitty was in line with a food tray, waiting for her daily rations, when he wheeled up behind her. She didn't notice him until the foot rest of his wheelchair bumped into her calf. She turned slightly and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, before facing forward once more. Armed guards were present, posted on each side of the Rationer, who was passing out substance at the front of the line.

When his wheelchair bumped her again, Kitty jerked her head towards Erik, just in time to see his tray slide off his lap and clatter to the ground. She felt her hair bristle at the sound, which broke the silence like a banshee's cry. Instinct caused her to bend down and pick up the tray (if not out of kindness or care, just to conserve the ever-present silence that it had shattered). The guards quickly approached, weapons pointed at her. When she noticed, she let go of the tray, which fall back to the ground, as she held up her hands at her sides. She didn't notice Erik flinch as the tray hit the ground, once again breaking the silence.

"Pick it up," one of the uniformed guards ordered Kitty, weapon pointed at her face. Kitty looked up at him, meeting his hard gaze for just a moment, before she slowly leaned down and picked up the tray, holding it in one hand, while her other hand remained in the air at her side. When she didn't move further than that, the guard growled, "...and give it to him." Kitty slowly placed the tray on Erik's lap. Erik glared at her, which surprised her slightly, but she remained stone-faced and turned to face the front of the line. The guards watched her for a moment, ensuring she didn't try anything else, before they returned to their posts. The line moved forward.

When Kitty stepped forward in line, she noticed a faint glimmer out of the corner of her eye, only a few inches from her feet. She turned her attention to the shine for a brief moment, before she turned her gaze back to the guards, whose hawkeyes were focused on the mutants in line. When she glanced back down at the anomaly, she knew she had to get it.

It was a small glass bottle without a stopper: no taller than an inch or two, clear, but caked inside with dirt. She took in a deep breath, glanced toward the guards once more, and kept her head facing forward. She performed a quick mental calculation (which she prayed was right): she didn't think Erik would be able see what she was about to do, due to his seated position and the placement of the tray on his lap.

Slowly, carefully, she slipped her heel out of her shoe. It was a test of balance and control: one that would have deadly consequences if she failed. Slowly, she inched her raised foot so it was close to the bottle, all the while making sure to keep her moving foot and leg directly behind the person in front of her and, thus, out of the guards' view. She used her bare toes to carefully pull the bottle closer to her, close enough that she could grasp it in her toes. Her heart raced as though it were on fire, as though it would beat right out of her chest, as she slowly, hesitantly, and with the mental whisper of a prayer, picked it up between her toes and the pad of her foot, before maneuvering it into her shoe. Kitty maintained her forward-facing position as slid her foot back into her shoe, toes scrunched up against the bottle.

And the line moved again.

Kitty held back a wince as she took a step forward, her toes painfully pressed against the bottle she had stowed at the front of her shoe. She forced herself not to limp with each step.

She received her rations: a piece of thick bread, government cheese, a bruised apple, and plastic cup of water. She didn't look the Rationer in the eye as she accepted the food. She held her breath as she walked past the guards at the most normal gait she could manage.

* * *

When she got back to her quarters, not long after eating, she sat down on her bed and slipped off her shoes. She glanced around to make sure the eyes of her quartermates were not on her, before reaching down, grasping the bottle in her hand, and sliding her shoes under her bed. She stood up, bare feet lightly hitting the cold wood floor, which caused her to shiver (or maybe it was just her nerves?). She pulled back the sheet on her bed, before climbing in. She then slid the glass bottle under her bare pillow, laid her head down on it, and stared up at the wood ceiling.

"Ya feelin' all righ', Pryde?" Kitty glanced over to the woman who had addressed her. The woman was sitting on the bunk next to Kitty's; she was thin, her skin was tanned and marred with scars and stretched so tightly over her bones that she almost looked like a statue. Her brown eyes were dull and her greasy, wavy hair was pulled back in a messy bun.

"Yeah. I just—" Kitty shrugged her shoulders, "Just had a run in with two Charlies at Rationing."

"Oh, hun, I'm sorry," the woman said as she stood up and moved to sit on the edge of Kitty's bunk, which lifted the mattress slightly at its edges and squeaked under her weight. Kitty's heart sped up and she forced herself not to wince: she prayed to God that the glass bottle would stay in its place beneath her pillow and not roll to the floor. "Ya wanna talk about it?"

Kitty shook her head and turned on her side to look at the other woman, as she pressed her head harder into the pillow to keep the bottle in place, "No, it's fine," she said quietly, "Thanks though, Mel."

"Well, you just let me know," Mel said, lips pursed into a barely-there smile as she stood up and went to chat with another bunkmate. Kitty nearly swallowed her heart for a second time when Mel's weight lifted off the mattress: she said another quick mental prayer for the glass bottle to stay put. It did, despite the cheap, firm mattress moving and squeaking under the other woman's weight.

Kitty stayed in her bed until lights out was called by the Bunkmaster. Over and over in her mind she ran through the possibilities of what the glass bottle was, where it had come from, and whether it was something significant or just trash.

* * *

She waited for what she hoped was hours. She couldn't be caught: whether it was trash or not, it was unauthorized paraphernalia. In the internment camp, mutants were only allowed to possess items given to them by the officers, which basically boiled down to clothing and a power-nullifying collar that could only be unlocked/removed by a select few officers. If a mutant was found in possession of any items not given to them by an officer, they were publically and severely punished. In order to dissuade the possession of unauthorized items, officers encouraged mutants to report suspicious activities; if a mutant reported another who was found to be in possession of an unauthorized object, they were given extra rations and shower privileges. Because of this, most mutants kept a sharp eye out for suspicious activity and were quick to make reports. She had to be extremely careful.

She listened to the symphony of breathing and snoring in the otherwise still bunkroom. Slowly, carefully, she reached under her pillow and pulled out the bottle, holding it in her hand under the sheet. She turned on her side, feigning moving in her sleep, and brought the covers closer to her face, so she could peek under them in the dim moonlight. Staying as still and quiet as she could, she turned the bottle around and around in her fingers: it looked like an ordinary, old-time medicine bottle. She slowly brought her other hand up and placed her pinky finger against the bottle's opening, in which she felt something other than just smooth glass. Her heart sped up so much that she could hear it pumping in her ears. Carefully, she moved the object inside around: it had sharp edges, which she was able to fold over slightly. After a few minutes, pausing every so often to listen above the sound of her heart to make sure everyone was still asleep, she managed to slide the object out. It was a rolled piece of paper. Confusion etched across her features as she quietly laid the bottle on the mattress and unfurled the small piece of paper.

One word was scrolled across the page in small, red, shaky letters: _**Time**_.

Kitty stared at the paper and quickly flipped it over to check the other side, which was blank. She flipped it again and stared at the word, running it over and over in her head. It meant nothing: there was no context. She crumpled up the paper, annoyed that she had risked her life for a nonsensical piece of trash.

When she turned on her side more forcefully than she had intended to, she thanked the heavens that the glass bottle didn't fall to the floor. She held both the crumpled paper and the glass bottle tightly in her hand and mentally congratulated herself for impulsively getting into such a dangerous position for something so useless. She applauded herself further for getting her hopes up, intrinsically knowing she'd be let down, just as she always had ever since she arrived at the camp.

While she mentally chided herself, Kitty's fatigue and hunger overcame her and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Just as the sun peeked through the windows, an officer with a loudspeaker called out over the complex for "all prisoners: prepare for morning duties."

Kitty groaned softly and rolled over onto her back, arm coming up over her eyes to block out the sun for one last moment. As soon as she did, though, conscious thought entered her mind and she realized the two contraband items were still in her hand. She quickly shoved them back under the sheet and sat up, glancing around to make sure no one had seen. They hadn't: mostly every other woman was still in the process of opening their eyes for the day.

Kitty immediately felt a cold sweat come upon her. How was she going to hide the items? She stood up and began to make her bunk (which was easy, considering it was a bare mattress with a sheet and a pillow with no pillowcase). During this process, she cringed slightly and popped the paper into her mouth, swallowing dry. She tucked in the edges of the sheet and could feel herself starting to become frantic, the bottle still grasped tightly in her hand as sweat ran down the back of her neck. The Bunkmaster walked in, ripping the sheet off the first bunk in line and announced, "Strip your beds."

And she did: hastily. She shoved the bottle within the folds of the sheet and prayed to God it wouldn't be found until it arrived at the laundry facility, where hopefully they couldn't point a finger at anyone in particular. She stood in line and deposited her laundry in the bag while the Bunkmaster overlooked the whole process; Kitty ensured she did not make eye contact.

* * *

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. The writing on the paper lingered at the back of Kitty's mind while she performed her daily work (washing floors and windows throughout the camp), but she didn't think much on it.

She was so numbed by her daily imprisonment, which was monotonous and spirit-crushing.

* * *

It happened again that same day at Rationing. Kitty was already on edge, as she had been since that morning when she turned in her bunk sheets: this was the reason she heard Erik wheel up behind her in line. She didn't turn to look at him, just bristled slightly when a bad feeling washed over her: something was about to happen.

And it did.

The foot rest of his chair bumped the back of her leg; this time, she didn't even acknowledge it. When it happened again just moments later, she heard the tray clatter to the floor, which sent the guards in their direction. She didn't move a muscle, but from behind her, so quietly she could barely even hear it, Erik whispered, "It's solid, Pryde," and then the guards arrived and shoved the tray back into Erik's hands, while they harassed him about how 'if he was too weak or old to hold his own tray, he'd be sent to Hospital.'

Kitty straightened her stance, still as a stone. She hadn't heard Erik's voice in years – hadn't heard a male's voice, other than guards, since her stay at the internment camp began. Despite her shock, she remained stone-faced and didn't act as though she heard anything.

But she had heard...and she immediately put two-and-two together.

* * *

That night was when her personal-training began.

As she laid in her bunk and lights-out was called, she said a quick prayer.

From that point forward, each night when she laid in bed and her fellow bunkmates were asleep, Kitty trained herself to pick the lock on her power-nullifying collar. It took weeks. Eventually, she was able to unlock and lock the device in a matter of minutes.

Once that was accomplished, each night she would focus all her energy on trying to train herself to do something that she didn't understand, something she had no idea how to even approach, and something she didn't know if it was even possible to do: she tried to project herself through the very fabric of time. She trusted Erik to an extent: if he believed _time_ was _solid_ , and he knew she had the ability to phase through solid objects, there was a chance that her efforts would be worth it.

Her personal-training continued for months (she thought; passage of time was difficult to gauge in the camp). Each time she thought she took a step in the right direction, upon reflection, she realized she hadn't made any progress.

Until one night.

* * *

It was pitch black in the bunkroom: there was no moon to illuminate the darkness and lights-out had been called hours ago. Kitty laid still in her bunk, having already unhooked her collar, fingers pressed against her temples and eyes closed. She concentrated, just as she had for so many nights. She focused on emptying her mind, pushing away all thoughts and memories and focusing only on her energy. She focused on not phasing herself through the bunk; focused on not phasing in the physical world.

And suddenly, there was this bright flash of purple light, which caused Kitty's eyes to widen.

And she was standing in line at Rationing.

Her heart raced as she clutched the tray in her shaking hands. She hesitantly glanced from side to side, slowly enough not to alert the guards to anything being out of place, but enough to try and stabilize her thoughts (and her shaking legs). The only thought that raced through her mind, over and over again, was ' _I think I did it_.'

And that's when she heard the sound of wheels on bare ground and she felt her stomach tie up in knots. She knew what was about to happen, because she had been here before. She closed her eyes, steadying her shaking breath, and as the sound of the wheels grew like thunder in her ears, at that perfect moment, she lifted her foot out behind her, just a slight movement, and stopped the foot rest of Erik's wheelchair from bumping into her calf.

And what she didn't see behind her was Erik's eyes widen slightly, before a momentary look of relief crossed his features. She heard him breath out a soft 'hmm' sound and then, with the sound of his tray clattering to the floor (which nearly sent the already-on-edge Kitty out of her skin), she heard him say lowly, below the sound of the approaching guards' clanking boots, "Tonight."

* * *

Which is how they ended up in the temple. Kitty still didn't understand how the others were able to organize so quickly, but she guessed much of it had to do with Erik. Obviously, he had been planning this for a while.

Kitty shook her head just slightly and pressed her fingers more firmly against Logan's temples. She had to concentrate; she couldn't afford to let her mind wander and linger on the earlier events of that night, on the people they had lost, and on the danger that no doubt was out searching for them.

And that's when it happened: that's when the hearts of all those in the room broke in unison.

Logan sat straight up with a roar, claws swinging wildly in the air; Kitty's eyes widened and she barely had enough time to duck. Thankfully, the claws missed her, minus part of her ponytail: the cut tendrils slowly drifted to the floor, shining in the moonlight. Logan sat there, breathing hard as he retracted his claws, before slamming his fists down on the cold, stone floor and shouting a string of obscenities, which sent once-slumbering bats flying out the windows.

Kitty winced at the sudden noise, the purple glow fading from her hands. She allowed herself to finally stretch out her legs.

And all was quiet for a moment: like everyone was waiting to see if the world would suddenly morph around them. Logan pushed himself into a standing position and started pacing back and forth, "Fuckin' Sabertooth," he growled out, punching a wall before he continued pacing.

"What...happened?" Bobby asked hesitantly, stepping away from the group he had been sitting with. His hair was mussed, dirt was smeared across one of his cheeks, and he had a long scar across his forehead, which was still angry and red. Logan turned his eyes to Bobby, slowed his pacing and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know how he found me. He just came out of nowhere," he admitted, growling again and clenching his fists, "Next time, I'll—" but he was cut off by Kitty, who's eyes were averted to the floor.

"I don't think there will be a next time, Logan," she said quietly. This caused a hush to fall over the temple and all eyes directed to her. She held her hands flat on the floor at her sides and didn't look up at the others as she continued, "I don't know if we have enough time. I don't know if I have enough energy," and then she laughed: a hollow sound that showed she obviously didn't have her heart in, a sound that reverberated across the temple for what seemed like too long, "What was it that Kurt always said?" She asked, finally raising her eyes to look at Bobby, who froze on the spot. All of them, except Kitty, bristled: Kurt had been slain by the Sentinels so long ago, before any of them had even been apprehended.

"Kitty—" Bobby started, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen over the group, but Kitty seemed as though she didn't even hear him as she continued.

"Wasn't it 'not enough 'oomf' for zee 'bamf's'?" She asked, more to herself, head tilting in thought, "Or something like that. God, it's been a lifetime. And then—oh goodness—and then he'd chow down about twelve cheeseburgers," as if on cue, Kitty's stomach growled loud enough for the others to hear, and she chuckled quietly, staring down at the floor. "You know, I never really understood any of that— until now," she said quietly, looking up blankly at Logan, "But yeah, it doesn't matter what it was he said, but _I_ don't have enough 'oomf' to 'bamf' you back thirty years, _again_ , Logan."

They all sat there, silent as Kitty forced herself to stand up on her weak, somewhat wobbly legs. She stretched her arms out in front of her, twisting her stiff wrists.

Piotr stood from where he'd been seated and slowly approached Kitty, taking only a few large steps to reach were she was, "Katherine," he began softly and she looked up at the tall man, tears stinging at the corner of her eyes. _How did they get here?_ "Thank you. From all of us. Ve vould not have made it this far vithout you," he said, placing a hand on her elbow and staring down into her eyes, "You are an amazing voman."

She avoided his eyes and stepped into his embrace, resting her head against his chest as silent tears began to fall from her eyes. They stood like that for a long time—long enough for her nose to start running: she didn't reach up to wipe the snot off her face, because what did it matter? Soon, they'd probably be killed, or apprehended and brought back to the camp, and who cares what you look like when you're dead (or basically dead)?

The moment was interrupted by the whine of a door opening: it sliced through the silence like a knife. They all froze and turned to look for the source of the noise, which echoed against the walls and ceiling.

They noticed movement at the far end of the temple and immediately fell into defensive poses. A figure cloaked in black stepped through the doorway and into the shadows of the room. Logan was the first to growl, claws poised to attack, "Who are you?"

The figure said nothing as they stopped in place. "Relax," they (she) said quietly. Bobby glared out the corner of his eyes at Logan, whose clawed hands lowered just slightly ("Not literally, asshole," he shot at the clawed man). The strange figure slowly reached up pale hands to grasp the hood of their cloak, before lowering it to reveal dull, red hair, streaked with white.

Kitty let out a choked sob from where she was standing and immediately let down all of her defenses, barely able to keep her legs from crumbling beneath her. Bobby stared, slack-jawed ("No way,") and Logan's hands dropped completely ("It can't be."). Piotr was the only one who stayed still as stone in his defensive pose.

Kitty, despite her better judgment and a lifetime of training, took a few wobbly towards to the other woman: someone she recognized immediately as an older version of a friend she had lost so long ago. "R-Rogue?" She stuttered, the name feeling so foreign on her lips. She reached out, hands shaking, "I must be mad..."

"No, Katherine," Piotr spoke, lips pressed in a line, "Ve all see vhat you see."

Kitty didn't look back at the others as she let her hands drop to her sides, staring at the other girl, "Is it...a trick?" she asked, swallowing hard.

Rogue's eyes widened slightly and she quickly shook her head, "God, no!" she reached into the pocket of her cloak, eyes still on Kitty, "I know—this is so strange. But, Kitty..." she said, carefully pulling out a purple glowing orb from her pocket and holding it in her hands so securely: like she was holding the entire world, "You sent me here to tell ya'—" Kitty's vision blurred as tears welled at the corner of her eyes, "—that we've tried ev'rything. We've sent ev'ryone," Rogue pursed her lips into a straight line, "Kitty, you're ah last hope. Only you can save the world."

* * *

End Note: Please review!


	2. Phase Half-Way Through the Sun

Only You Can Save the World  
by awayshegoes

Chapter Two: "Phase Half-Way Through the Sun"

* * *

" _What?_ " Bobby asked with a look of confusion, "Wait, hold up. What do you mean 'we've sent everyone'?"

Rogue kept her eyes locked with Kitty's for a moment, before turning to acknowledge Bobby's question, "It means _exactly_ what it sounds like," she shot back, a little harsher than Bobby had obviously expected her to, judging by the momentary look of surprise that crossed his face, " _We've_ sent _ev'_ _ryone_ to the past to try and change the world. You, me, Logan, Piotr, Erik—" she said, counting off each name on her fingers as she spoke.

"But...Erik's dead," Bobby cut in and crossed his arms across his chest, his look becoming more skeptical as he watched Rogue.

Rogue rolled her eyes at this, "Ya, and based on the looks y'all are givin' me, ah' bet ah' ahm too," she said flatly. At this point, Piotr reached over and placed one of his large hands on Bobby's shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"I think ve need to give her the chance to explain, Iceman, rather than playing tventy questions," Bobby seemed to relax slightly at this, but his arms remained crossed tightly across his chest ("Yeah, yeah. _Fine_ ," he grumbled). All the while, Logan's eyes didn't stray from Rogue. Kitty seemed mesmerized by the orb in the other woman's hands, which was still glowing that same purple color she had grown so familiar with: the color she had been staring at for the past few hours while she phased Logan into the past; the one she had dedicated her life to harnessing for the past few months.

Rogue took Piotr's advice to Bobby as her cue. She turned her attention back to Kitty and held the orb out closer to the other woman, "In _mah_ timeline, it's just you, me, and Kurt," Kitty's eyes snapped from the orb to lock with Rogue's, "In _anotha_ timeline, you phased the Professa to _mah_ timeline and in yet _ANOTHA_ , you phased someone to the Professa's, and it goes back quite a few timelines like that." Rogue took a breath before continuing, "But, anyways, the Professa let us know that _you_ from yet _anotha_ timeline, way, way back, realized somethin' that no other Kitty they'd encountered had realized before: that ya only had enough energy to phase someone into the past twice," Rogue held up two fingers on one of her hands,"Thankfully, that Kitty realized it _before_ she phased someone into the past a second time. _That's_ what got the ball rollin'. That Kitty formulated this idea that if she could use that second phase to send someone to a _parallel_ timeline, they could see who _that_ timeline's Kitty sent back on their first phase, use that Kitty's second phase to send someone to _anotha_ parallel timeline, and, by process of elimination, they could eventually find out who _may_ be capable of changing the world. So, I guess with her second phase, that Kitty sent her Bobby Drake to some parallel timeline, that timeline's Kitty sent someone to another parallel timeline, and so on and so forth, until the Professa's Kitty sent him to mine," she kept counting things off on her fingers as she spoke, "All with the hope and faith that they'd reach a parallel timeline before that Kitty had the chance to phase anyone a second time."

Kitty was silent. Logan's fists clenched at his sides and he growled slightly, seemingly still stuck on the first words of Rogue's explanation, "Why'd they have to send _you_ and not blue boy?" He asked lowly. Rogue shifted her eyes in his direction.

"Not that it's any of yohr business, but we all agreed it'd be less stress on Kitty if _ah_ were sent heah and not Kurt." Out of the corner of her eyes, Rogue could see Kitty's shoulders slump just slightly, so she continued, "The Professa that was phased to _mah_ timeline warned us ta be very selective with who was sent to otha timelines. Ah guess—sorry Kit—" Rogue paused, glancing at the other girl for a moment, whose eyes had returned to the orb, "In some timelines, Kitty's had an awful bad one when her once-dead teammates came prancing through the doorway. Ah guess it almost caused some groups ta be apprehended, before she had a chance ta phase someone to a parallel timeline. _That_ would have ruined everything: _Ah_ wouldn't be standin' here right now."

"Okay, so say all that's true," Bobby cut in with a skeptical look still on his face, "Our Kitty's already phased Logan back and she said she doesn't have enough energy to do it again. So, watcha gonna do about it?"

"Well, if it wasn't for this," Rogue paused for a moment to hold up the glass orb, purple smoke swirling within it, "That may be an issue. But, with this...Kitty—" she turned to face the other woman, "You and Kurt worked so hahd on this in mah timeline. The you in mah timeline fihmly believes that _this_ is ah _only_ shot at savin' the entiah world." Kitty's eyes remained so fixated on the orb that Rogue was unsure whether or not the other woman had heard a word she said. "You told me ta give this _only_ ta ya," the time-traveler said quietly, holding out the orb even closer to Kitty.

Kitty's eyes widened slightly. She cupped both of her hands together and allowed Rogue to place the orb between her palms. The glass surface was warm to the touch and the purple glow seemed to brighten once it was in Kitty's possession. The brunette held the orb securely in her hands before turning her eyes back to the other woman, "How does it work?" she asked quietly.

Rogue sighed softly and shrugged her shoulders, "Honestly, I'm not too sure." Kitty stared at her, a look of disbelief crossing her features.

"What do you _mean_ you're not sure?" she asked, the pitch of her voice raising and its pace quickening, "What does it do? What did they say _I_ should do with it?"

Rogue shrugged her shoulders again, "Kitty, ah'm being honest when ah say ah'm not sure. None of us know how it works or if it will even do what they intended it to do. Ah mean, they just made it: it's not like they tested it out ta see how it works. Ah think it's a one-time-use sorta thing."

Kitty's hands trembled at this, "Well, I mean—" she started, her mind beginning to race, "— _I_ sure don't know how it works or what it does." The others watched on in silence. Logan still seemed on-edge as he switched between pacing and watching the two women, Bobby's look remained skeptical, and Piotr stood still as stone, making sure he didn't miss a single word.

Rogue pursed her lips, "Well, ah guess the best ah can do for ya, Kit-Kat, is to tell you what ah do know," Kitty stared down at the orb in her hands as the other woman spoke, "Ah don't really know any of the technical aspects of how they made it, but ah know the idea behind it," Rogue paused, which caused all eyes to turn to her. " _You_ told me that once ya found out you could phase yourself back in time, ya perfected it..."

* * *

 ** _((In Rogue's Timeline))_**

It all started with an idea.

Kitty was standing in line for Rationing at the end of a hard day. Everyone was silent, as usual. Kitty was mostly zoned out, exhausted from the floors she had scrubbed for hours: her arms, elbows, and knees felt like they were on fire and her mind felt numb.

She didn't notice when he got in line behind her.

Maybe it was the pain in her legs or the fog in her brain, but she didn't even react when something slithered across the side of her knee and wrapped around her leg for just a moment. When it pulled away is when she comprehended what had just happened. Her eyes watered: she knew exactly who was behind her in line, exactly whose tail had touched her leg. She hadn't felt his touch in so long, nor any friendly touch in what felt like a lifetime. She sniffled once, quietly, and held the tray tighter in her hands. What wouldn't she give to turn around and look at him, for just a moment? The risk to her life was the only thing that stopped her from doing so: were she killed for insubordination, she'd obviously never see any of her friends ever again.

In that moment, the only thought in her mind was how she wished he could just teleport them back to the Mansion, back to her school bedroom, back to anywhere. ' _No one can teleport through time, though,_ ' she thought sadly, stepping forward as the line of mutants moved. ' _Oh, what I wouldn't give to get out of here and go back in time.'_

No one at Rationing, except for the guards, took much notice of when Erik's tray slid off his lap and clattered to the floor, before his body slumped over in his wheelchair; his motionless form was wheeled away and the line moved forward.

* * *

That night, while laying her her bunk, Kitty found that she was dwelling on his touch so much that she couldn't sleep. She laid still, staring at the ceiling and reminiscing on the past. She fantasized about him breaking them out of the camp: miraculously removing their power-nullifying collars in line at Rationing, saying something cocky to the guards with a big grin, grabbing her around the waist, and then they'd be gone in a puff of smoke, only to reappear standing on top of a pyramid somewhere, laughing so hard until they collapsed. A smile settled upon her lips as these images played in her mind on repeat.

That's when she took her fantasies to the next level: she was determined to make them reality. She began her self-training: with only a safety pin (a piece of paraphernalia she found attached to a curtain one day, while she was cleaning windows), which she kept shoved into the top of her mattress, she spent her nights training herself to unlock and re-lock the power-nullifying collar clipped around her neck.

Within weeks, she was an expert: she could unlock and re-lock it in a matter of seconds.

* * *

And then it was a waiting game.

Everyday, Kitty anxiously stood in line at Rationing and waited for the day she either got in line behind Kurt or he got in line behind her. After two months of waiting, she had a sinking feeling that it would never happen. She hadn't seen Kurt in all that time.

So she got angry. She worked harder at each chore she did, allowing her anger to take control; she no longer savored the substance that she received at Rationing: she barely chewed as she shoved the food into her mouth, so she'd wouldn't have to sit at the table with her bunkmates any longer than was absolutely necessary: she could just put her head down and ignore the world.

But, as she would later find out, her anger was what made everything fall into place.

* * *

It happened a night when she laying in her bunk and silently clicking her collar off and on in frustration (a newly-formed habit). Her anger and frustration caused a momentary lapse of control, in which, just as she was about to re-clip her collar, her hand phased right through it. She nearly jumped out of her skin as the electrical components sparked and snapped for just a moment. This woke up most of the women in the room, who sat up in their bunks and looked around in the darkness, trying to find out what the sudden noise was.

Kitty's skin paled, but instinct caused her to clip the collar shut and sit up in her bunk, mimicking the other womens' curiosity. The Bunkmaster burst in the room and told them all to get back to sleep, which they did without question, and the noise was forgotten.

While completing her duties the next day, Kitty's eyes widened as she reached into a bucket of water, grabbed hold of a washcloth, and her hand pulled out dry: she had short-circuited the collar and could now phase undetected.

After this turn of events, Kitty became less angry. With her ability back (which she could use, so long as she was careful to remain undetected), her spirits seemed to lift just slightly. Her newly-restored ability also caused her to become more anxious during Rationing all over again: now, she wouldn't have to pick the lock on Kurt's power-nullifying collar, she could just reach in and short circuit it.

* * *

Weeks went by and she still didn't see him. Instead of getting angry, she decided she needed to develop a different approach. She began savoring her substance during Rationing and stopped ignoring the world. Each day, as she picked at her substance, she'd watch the sky amid the silence that felt like a blanket over the camp. The sky was the one thing that never changed: despite the sordid conditions of the camp, the sky seemed blissfully unaware, shining that same brilliant blue that had been ever-present since the days when she was happy, innocent, and unaware of what lied ahead.

Kitty watched as the orange sun began to sink on the horizon. She'd accepted the fact that she'd never be able to see the sun set on the actual horizon, due to the towering walls that surrounded the camp, but she could watch a make-shift sunset: the sun sinking behind the top of the walls, like a bomb falling through the sky and out of sight and then, just like clockwork, there would be a calm moment when it's rays faded from view, before an explosion of colors appeared at the top of the walls: red, yellow, pink, blue, and orange.

She counted in her head as the sun touched the top of the wall and then began to sink behind it. She stopped eating, focusing on the setting sun in a way she hadn't in such a long time. ' _It's so beautiful,_ ' she thought, ' _What I wouldn't give to be like the sun and_ _move through the sky into another day,'_ she squinted her eyes against the bright rays _,_ _'I wish travelling to another time was as easy as_ _walking through that wall to see the sunset._ '

That night, as she laid in her bunk, the image of walking through that wall and into the sun played in her mind on repeat. It was just her: a lone figure, forever walking towards the sun through an empty, desolate landscape.

* * *

After that day and that image of walking through that wall to see the sunset, Kitty began to obsessively think about her spatial surroundings. Every time she phased through something (always unbeknownst to everyone around her), she wondered how it was physically possible for her to do so (or whether it was a simple explanation: that all mutants just somehow defied the physical world). She wondered where the molecules that made up her body went when she phased through something: were they sent to another dimension or did they simply disperse so thinly that it allowed her the ability to walk through solid objects?

Her now science-oriented mind began to see the wonder in everything. Her demeanor changed: she always seemed lost in her own mind. She took notice of how disconnected from the world she was one day, following a confrontation she had with a guard, in which he had ordered her to do something and she didn't even notice he had been speaking to her. This situation then caused her to think on whether it would be possible for her to phase into her own mind: could she phase into her memories and just stay there?

Each night, Kitty thought on these unanswerable questions. When exhaustion would eventually wear on her mind, that image of her walking into the sun would take over and play on repeat, until she'd fall into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The first time it happened, it was completely unexpected.

Kitty sat straight up in her bunk with a gasp. She reached up and quickly wiped her bangs away from her forehead, which were damp with sweat. Her eyes darted around the room: aside from the woman in the bunk next to her, who shifted slightly in her sleep, no one showed any sign of being awake. Kitty held her hand against her heart for a moment, trying to calm herself, before hesitantly laying back down and staring up at the dark ceiling, _'Was that a dream?'_ she thought, _'It felt so real.'_

With her mind racing (' _My body's still tingling. It felt like I went right through the sun._ '), Kitty was unable to fall back asleep. She laid in her bunk for hours, wide awake and still on edge, until the Bunkmaster stepped in and called for all the women to wake up for their daily duties. She dressed for the day, stripped the sheets off her bunk when ordered, and got in line to deposit them in the laundry bag, before beginning another long day.

It wasn't until she was scrubbing the same blood smear off the same wall in the same bunkroom, which she had already done about a week ago, that she had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. Further confirmation came later that day, during Rationing, when a man in line in front of her suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his chest. The guards marched over to him and hauled him to his feet, his head lolling from side to side and his eyes blank. Kitty froze on the spot: she had seen this same thing happen to the same man the previous week; she had already watched him die. She had lived this day before...

* * *

It happened again the next night.

Kitty was startled awake in her bunk from the same dream, in which she phased right through the sun. The image repeated in her mind as she laid in her bunk, staring up at the slowly-brightening ceiling, until the Bunkmaster ordered them to get ready for their showers. Kitty thought it was a little strange that Cleansing was today (it had only been two days before, which typically meant it shouldn't be until the following day), but she didn't think much more on it than that.

As Kitty stood in line waiting for her turn in the cold shower, she rubbed her arms, trying to rid of the feeling she woke up with that morning: a tingling feeling that felt like static across her skin. There was a sudden clattering sound from inside the group stall, followed by a scream. This caused Kitty's hair to stand on edge and her stomach felt as though it sank to the floor.

When an older woman was pulled out of the stall by two guards, her body naked, head lolled forward, and blood running out of a large wound on her head, Kitty had to swallow back vomit: not at the unnerving sight in front of her, but because she had witnessed this same situation, with this same woman, only two weeks before.

* * *

That night, as she laid in her bunk, she knew something was happening.

Two days in a row, she had now relived a day from her past. Both times, she had been brought back to a day in which someone had died. Death was not uncommon in the camp (it was a daily occurrence), but the camp was so massive that she wasn't always in close proximity when it happened.

Her mind raced, thinking back on all of the deaths she had witnessed during her time in the camp. If the past two days were a precursor for what she should expect, she had a sinking feeling she'd be reliving each and every day she had seen death in the camp. How this was possible, she didn't know. In the back of her mind, as she remembered all the deaths she has witness, that image of her phasing through the sun played in her mind.

She committed herself to not sleeping that night.

Kitty laid awake in her bunk. She was exhausted; her joints and muscles ached more than she'd probably ever admit. Occasionally, she'd catch herself when her eyelids started to become heavy: she'd jerk out of her nearly-asleep state and pinch her cheek as hard as she could, until tears stung at the corner of her eyes.

She was able to stay awake that night, but the next night was a completely different story.

* * *

After completing her duties and eating her substance, Kitty went to her bunk and collapsed on it. She willed herself to stay awake and was successful in doing so for most of the night. She turned on her side and stared at the moon for a long time, studying the face of the man in the moon, which brought back happy memories of her childhood: memories of her parents bringing her outside on warm, summer nights, way past her bedtime, to catch fireflies.

She didn't notice as she closed her eyes and a gentle smile settled on her lips. Fireflies floated in her mind. She imagined kneeling in the cool summer grass in front in front of one of the bugs, which was lighting up and turning off as though it was keeping time with a metronome. Within her mind, as slowly and with as much tact as she could muster, she cupped her hands around it. She imagined bringing her hands closer to her face, the captured critter safely tucked away inside. She pictured slowly opening a small space between her thumbs, so that she could peek inside without letting the bug escape.

Within the darkness of her cupped hands she saw the golden light flick on, which caused her heart to swell with happiness and pride. It turned off before, in time, lighting back up.

But, this time, it didn't turn off: instead, it got brighter, and bigger, and even brighter until all she could see was that massive, glowing sun all around her. She panicked and tried to open her eyes, to end the daydream, but she had this heart-racing moment of realization that they were already open. She brought an unsteady hand up in front of her face and and could see purple swirling beneath her skin.

And then all went black.

* * *

Kitty sat up in her bunk with a start. She tried to calm her breathing as she raked her fingers through her hair. She was cold and shivering.

When the Bunkmaster walked in, Kitty was still sitting up in her bed and tugging at her hair. The Bunkmaster gave her a questioning look, but otherwise ignored her and made the wake up call.

* * *

It went on like that for days: each time she was unable to keep herself from falling asleep, she would see that massive, looming sun, and then she'd wake up in her bunk and relive a day she had witnessed death.

Reliving those days wore heavily on Kitty's mind: she never realized just how many deaths she had witnessed during her time in the camp. She began to lose sense of time ' _How many trips back is this?'_ and ultimately, she began to question her sanity.

* * *

One day, while she was standing in line at Rationing, she was on edge while waiting to see when death would make itself known. It had been a fairly normal day: she had scrubbed floors. She rocked back and forth on her toes a few times, trying to calm her nerves, knowing that the death would most likely occur during Rationing: that's usually when it happened.

Kitty stepped forward in line and focused on her breathing: a calming tactic she had been all but been forced to take up due to her new life schedule, which included so many repetitive, stressful situations.

And then she felt it (and had to hold back a scream).

A tentative touch on her knee, before something slithered around and held onto her leg for just a moment. Her eyes watered: she knew exactly where (or when) she was. Her hands shook as his tail hesitantly pulled away and she had to use all of her willpower to not turn around in that instant and throw her arms around his neck. She waited; time ticked by so slowly that seconds felt like hours.

And then it happened: the sound of Erik's tray clattering to the floor was her cue. Kitty spun around faster than she'd ever moved in her entire life. Her blue eyes locked with his yellow, which were wide in shock, as she swung her hand up and phased it through Kurt's power-nullifying collar: the collar sparked and zapped as Kitty threw herself forward, into his chest, and wrapped her arms around his torso. He instinctively hugged her against himself as they locked eyes, hers still watering, "Kurt, get us out out of here," she breathed heavily, voice cracking, "Now!"

And as the guards shouted and raced towards them, they were gone in a puff of smoke.

They reappeared in an empty church.

Kitty's legs were shaking so badly that they collapsed beneath her; the only thing that kept her from falling to the floor was Kurt's strong grip under her arms. He slowly lowered her to the floor and knelt down beside her, "Kitty—" he said quietly, holding one of her hands between both of his Kitty cried, "I don't know how you've done this, but I am amazed," he said softly, lightly running his fingers through her hair.

Kitty continued to cry as she leaned forward, resting her head under Kurt's chin. Kurt wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, "W-we need to get out of here, Kurt," she cried softly. He hushed her, smoothing her bangs away from her face and hesitantly wrapping his tail around her waist.

"No, ve're safe here, Kitty. Ve'll be—" he was cut off as Kitty jerked up to meet his eyes, her forehead colliding with his chin in the process. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I don't mean _here._ I mean _here,_ " she gestured around them with her arms, " _Here_! This time! This hopeless future!" she choked slightly on her words. Kurt pursed his lips and hesitantly reached up to wipe away the tears from Kitty's cheek, which was red and bruised from all the days of pinching her self in an attemptto keep herself awake at night.

"How?" was all he asked, which seemed to calm Kitty down just slightly. Her shoulders slumped and she stared down at the ground, bangs blocking her eyes. When she didn't respond, Kurt reached up to push the hair out of her eyes, "Kitty, how?" he repeated.

Hesitantly, she looked up at him, "I—I have this theory," she said quietly, sounding unsure as her blue eyes met his, "I don't know exactly how it works, but—" she bit her lip softly, "It's possible. I know it is. _It's been working_..."

 **(( _Exit Rogue's Timeline_ ))**

* * *

"Ya told me that it had somethin' to do with the sun or space," Rogue swung her arms as she motioned at the air above her head, "Ya likened it to phasing into the same place Kurt goes to when he teleports. Ya know: whereva it is he goes after he leaves one place and before he reappears in anotha."

Kitty's eyes were fixated on Rogue, as they had been during her entire explanation. From where he was sitting on the floor, Piotr raised his hand before speaking, "Rogue—if you don't mind me asking—vhere do you come into all this?"

Rogue smiled a little at him, "Well, honestly, ah think it was just mah lucky day," she began, "Mah Kitty said she came to the realization that they needed someone else. I think I was jus' the first person they found who they knew they could trust."

Kitty swallowed hard, "But—this," she said softly, holding up the orb, which still glowed purple in her hands, "How did this come to be?"

Rogue sighed, "The best explanation you could give me was that _that,_ " she said, nodding towards the orb, "Is what what you get when you phase half-way through the sun and then teleport yourself out," Rogue rolled her eyes, a smile briefly flashing upon her lips, "Kitty, ya gotta take all this with a grain of salt. Your science-y explanation was too confusin', so you made it easier to understand...kinda, I guess," she met the other woman's eyes, "You jus' gotta know that what's in that orb is your and Kurt's pride and joy."

"Yeah, okay," Kitty mumbled.

"Why'd they need you?" Logan growled from where he was leaning against one of the stone walls of the temple, arms crossed against his chest.

Rogue took in a breath before turning to face him, "Well, ah'll be honest with ya. Ah don't think they cared much about who they had helpin' 'em, so long as whomeva they had was trustworthy. Afta they created that thing," she nodded toward the orb, "They were both pretty worn out. They said that neitha of them had energy enough to deal with whatever they would need to face if they were to go back in time. Honestly, I think that's a _load_ of horse shit," she said, grinning slightly, "Ah think they just didn't want ta leave each other after everything they went through togetha. That's why sent me instead: so they could stay with each otha."

Kitty squeezed the orb a little tighter in her hands, willing away the tears that stung at the corners of her eyes.

And that's when they heard it.

A mechanical muttering and what sounded like a thousand heliocopters headed their way. They all froze on the spot, for just a moment, before falling into defensive positions: all except Kitty who remained glued to the spot, panic in her eyes as she stared down at the orb that was still held securely between her palms.

"Those fuckers found us," Logan growled, metal claws growing out of his hands. The sound of clanking metal echoed against the walls, before the metal Colossus turned his head to glance at Kitty.

"I don't vant to rush you, but I think it's time for you to use that thing," he said calmly, locking eyes with her for just a moment, "God speed, Katherine."

Tears streamed down Kitty's face and her hands shook as she looked between everyone, "But-! I don't-! I have no idea what I'm supposed to do!" She sputtered, panicking.

"Heads up, guys!" Bobby shouted.

The ground rumbled as the first Sentinels touched down, their orange robotic eyes landing on their mutant opponents, while their voices echoed against the temple walls. "You have to do something, Kitty," Rouge said quietly as she reached out and placed a gloved hand on the other woman's shoulder.

As soon as Rogue's fingers touched Kitty's shoulder, it was like she had touched a house of cards: Kitty's legs nearly collapsed under herself and, as she scrambled to keep from falling, her grip on the orb faltered. Her eyes widened and, in what felt like slow motion, she watched as the orb fell to the floor. The orb's thin glass shattered on impact with the stone floor and the purple smoke rose up around Kitty's feet.

With wide eyes, Kitty looked up from her broken treasure. Her eyes met Logan's, who had turned to face her upon hearing the sound of shattering glass. And then she saw the closest Sentinel raise a glowing arm in their direction...

And then she disappeared.

* * *

End Note: Please review!


	3. Women Drivers

Only You Can Save the World  
by awayshegoes

Chapter Three: "Women Drivers"

* * *

It was as though the world had been turned off with the flick of a switch.

Everything was black. Kitty scrambled and clawed at the air in a desperate attempt to grasp hold of anything solid. The only thing she could feel was cool air as it brushed against her skin; even the temple floor beneath her feet seemed as though it had fallen away. She felt weightless.

And then, through the darkness, she saw a pinprick of orange light, which she immediately assumed was a Sentinel's glowing eyes moving towards her. Kitty instantaneously snapped out of her panic and sheer instinct caused her to take on a defensive mindset. As the orange glow moved closer to her, for a moment, she swore she felt her heart stop.

Even though the orange light had been so far away when she first spotted it, it was as though the universe had suddenly turned on a vacuum, which pulled it towards her at light-speed.

It was the sun: that monstrous, fiery-orange ball that had been looming at the back of her mind since the days before she began experiencing time-travel. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry and her throat felt as though a tennis ball was lodged within it.

As her body was pulled closer to the massive celestial form, her eyes widened and she attempted to back-peddle: to escape being pulled into the center of the sun.

It was a futile attempt.

Kitty could've sworn that she was screaming, but the only sound that echoed in the void around her was a deafening wind.

Her fingertips were the first thing that touched the intangible surface of the sun: when she attempted to push herself away from the massive star, her palms neglected to find anything solid. As each bit of her body was sucked into the sun, she felt as though her skin, her eyes, the very molecules of her being were set on fire.

Once she had completely phased though the sun's outer barrier, the world went grey: she could see nothing ahead of her, but she could still see.

The air inside the sun felt akin to being underwater: she couldn't breathe. Panic returned as she tried to claw at something, anything, to reach the surface of some unseen ocean.

And that's when she saw it.

A stream of purple smoke, the same substance that had been enclosed within the orb, appeared and wound its way through the ether. She froze on the spot. The smoke twisted around her ankles, her legs, and climbed all the way up to her neck. As the smoke swirled up to her face and within her nostrils, she could suddenly breath.

As soon as she took her first breath, it was as though the universe's vacuum was turned back on: Kitty's body was thrust forward, transitioning from a standstill to light-speed in a millisecond, before being slammed into something so hard that it caused her to immediately black out.

* * *

Consciousness returned and Kitty's face was pressed against something that was cold, but warm at the same time. The only sound she could hear was a high-pitched ringing in her ears. As she brought her hands under herself, preparing to push her body up into a seated position, she realized that her muscles and bones and tendons were screaming in agony. When she was eventually able to sit up, it took her eyes quite a long time to bring the world into focus.

The abrupt sound of banging interrupted the ringing in her ears. Kitty whipped her head to the left, in the direction she could tell the banging was coming from (and winced, as the sudden movement caused a painful stabbing sensation in her neck): she saw the red, angry face of a man she didn't recognize. His mouth was moving as though he was yelling something at her, his eyes bulging, his fists banging against the glass that separated them.

Instinct caused Kitty to reach down with her left hand and grasp hold of a crank handle, which she turned and turned until the glass window between her and the man was completely rolled down. She stared at him, confusion evident on her face.

"Fucking _women_ _drivers_!" the man shouted at her, slamming his hand against the truck's side mirror (which caused Kitty jump and flinch), before he stormed off to a car with a crushed side.

Kitty froze. It took her mind a moment to comprehend what had just been said to her. She hesitantly reached down, grasped the the crank handle again, and rolled the window back up. ' _What the hell is happening? Where am I?_ ' Kitty thought as she looked down at the steering wheel in front of her, forehead wrinkling as she momentarily pondered the word 'Ford,' before she suddenly noticed the blood smeared across it. She reached up and touched her forehead; when she pulled her fingers away from her skin and inspected them, they were red. ' _Whose truck is this? Where was I even going?_ '

The sound of door opening and rushing air caused Kitty to again direct her attention to her left. A blonde woman was in the process of opening the truck's door, a look of terror on her face, "Honey, it's alright. I'm a nurse. I saw what happened and my husband went to call the cops," the stranger said, her terrified look settling into something akin to determination as she leaned into the truck and over Kitty's lap to unbuckle the seat-belt. Kitty didn't move a muscle, too dumbfounded to comprehend what was going on. "What hurts?" the woman asked as she placed a handbag on floor beside Kitty's feet, before she reached in and pulled out a small flashlight, which she immediately clicked on. The blonde woman leaned in front of Kitty's face and shined the light in her eyes to inspect her pupils.

"I-I'm fine," Kitty said, leaning away from the stranger. The blond woman looked up and met her eyes for a moment, before they drifted to the blood on her forehead.

"Well, it doesn't look like you have a concussion. I'm have no idea how that's possible..." she trailed off and clicked off the flashlight, "An ambulance will be here soon. They'll get you to the hospital and you can call your parents," she said as she stepped out of Kitty's personal space, "I have some water in my car. I'll be right back. Don't try to stand up, okay hun?" she said, before running off.

Kitty stared at the Ford symbol on the steering wheel as she went over everything in her mind. ' _Okay, so, yeah. I guess the ambulance_ will _bring me to the hospital. Then I can call my parents and they can-'_

Kitty's eyes widened as a million images simultaneously permeated her mind: images of her parents, of catching fireflies, of discovering her mutation, of the Xavier School, of her friends, her teachers, of the hopeless future that she had been living in for all these years. In a moment of realization, Kitty began to panic: she had momentarily forgotten her entire life. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes as she grabbed hold of her head, dug her nails into her scalp, and pulled at her hair, ' _What's happening?_ _I have to get out of here._ _'_

She looked up and noticed the blond woman was headed towards her with a jug of water.

Kitty's eyes widened like those of a trapped animal: without a second thought, she vaulted out of the truck, her foot tangling in the handles of the women's handbag, which was still on the floor of the truck, which caused her to trip and fall to the pavement. She groaned as she pushed herself back up, before she jumped to her feet, grabbed handbag, and sprinted across the road. ' _Run,_ ' was the only thought that repeated over and over in her mind as she jumped a guardrail and phased through trees, underbrush, a chain-link fence, and more trees.

* * *

End Note: Thank you everyone for your support. I know this chapter is shorter than the others, but it would end up being unbearable long if not cut off at this scene. Thank you, again, and please review!


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